CS Research Student wins Google Scholarship

Larissa Dos Santos Romualdo, who is studying for a degree in the Computer Science Department, has been awarded a prestigious Google Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship for 2012.

This scholarship was created by Google’s to mark the life and vision of Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003):

"Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) devoted her adult life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields. Her combination of technical expertise and fearless vision continues to inspire and motivate countless women to become active participants and leaders in creating technology."

Scholarships are awarded based on the strength of candidates’ academic performance, leadership experience and demonstrable passion for computer science. This year, 40 students (this number includes BSc, Masters and PhDs) from EMEA were selected as Google scholars.

Larissa is a member of the Software Systems Engineering group.  Currently she is conducting research in Smart Cities - specifically researching on middleware architecture for city-wide delivery of services. Her primary supervisor is Professor Anthony Finkelstein.

Speaking of her award Larissa said: "I am very pleased to be one of the recipients of the Google Anita Borg Scholarship. Winning this scholarship is very rewarding and a very important recognition to me. I have a huge passion for computer science and I am proud to be a woman in the field of engineering. I am fortunate enough to receive this scholarship and to be a PhD student at UCL at the same time. UCL was the first University in England to admit women on equal terms with men, and I believe this is the ideal academic Institution to any woman who aspires to be part of the next generation of female leaders."

Larissa has been invited to join around 100 fellow scholars at The Google Scholars' Retreat which will be held in Zurich in  June.